Getting Down to Business at the 9th Annual Small Business Day

When a good business program gets going, it makes sense to start a tradition.

Small Business Day, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is one such tradition that business owners, civic leaders and legislators have come to count on at the start of each new year.

Now in its ninth year, this year’s incarnation is from 7:30 am to noon, Jan. 24, at the Holiday Inn, Concord, in partnership with our agency (the Division of Economic Development), the Business and Industry Association and the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center and the generous sponsorship of TD Bank and Usource.

The morning’s agenda begins with remarks from Gov. Maggie Hassan and continues with a panel discussion featuring Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Andy Sanborn, House Majority Leader Stephen Shurtleff and House Republican Leader Gene Chandler and focus specifically on top small business issues of 2014 and how state elected leaders will resolve them.

Three educational sessions follow. The first, Vital Resources for Growing Your Small Business, is moderated by our own Chris Way, deputy director of the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development. Panelists are Steve Webb, TD Bank; Mary Collins, Small Business Development Center; Angela Martin, Devine Millimet, and Stephanie Phillips of Louis Karno. They will discuss essential resources to the success of a small business, including free legal help for start-ups, financing options, marketing strategies and tactics to improve profitability.

The next session, The ACA and Beyond: Navigating the New Health Insurance Landscape, will cover new strategies and opportunities for meeting a company’s healthcare and health insurance needs in the post-ACA economy. Small businesses are challenged with navigating the complex and ever-changing health insurance landscape, particularly now that the Affordable Care Act is fully in effect and plans in the new online marketplaces kicked in Jan. 1. Panelists Marie Proulx, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Steve Gerlach, Bernstein Shur will discuss what small businesses need to know in 2014 and beyond.

In response to long-standing unease by business leaders about the state’s economic future, the BIA recently completed a strategic economic plan for New Hampshire, aimed at capitalizing on the state’s strengths and addressing growing weaknesses. In this final panel, small business owners will learn more about this important plan and how it will impact the state’s business environment and their small business.

The cost to attend Small Business Day is $15 per person and includes continental breakfast. Register here or call the BIA at 603.224.5388 x116.